October 3, 200916 yr So we all know that Isaan has noticeably (ahem) different food from central Siamese Thailand, but is there really any other marked difference in anything else? I've heard that plaid cloth is a signature of Isaan, along with wats whose roofs slope all the way to the ground (e.g. Wat Xieng Thong, though Chiang Mai looks similar)... but I've never seen a difference in house design or anything else. I'm wondering, would it be possible to build a traditional house where a central Thai would look at it and immediately say, "that must be Isaan"? I've noticed many farangs build Sukhothai-style wood houses in Isaan (with the pointed peak and flares on the gable end), which is obviously out of place (and perhaps a kind of Siamese Thai colonialism?). Laos would be a good source of finding the Isaan style, but all the homes there seem to be too modern or shacks. In terms of landscape, Cambodian sugar palms are a strong mark, since the rest of Thailand is too wet for them.
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